BURGHILL – The Honorable John M. Stuard Sr., 73, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, at 10:24 a.m at Trumbull Memorial Hospital, Warren, Ohio following a sudden illness.
Mr. Stuard was born on March 26, 1939, in Sharon, Pa., to his parents, Carl M. Stuard and Violet R. Richards Stuard.
He graduated from Sharon High School in 1957 and continued his education, receiving his bachelor’s degree from Thiel College.
On Aug. 4, 1962, he married his wife, Linda Breakall Stuard, recently sharing their 50th wedding anniversary.
Mr. Stuard went on to earn his Law Degree from the University of Kentucky’s Law School in 1965.
Mr. Stuard’s work in the legal field started with serving as a solicitor for Newton Falls and the Village of Orangeville. Mr. Stuard also served as a criminal defense attorney as well as a prosecutor for the City of Warren.
In 1983, he was appointed the first judge at the Central District Court in Cortland and later to the Common Pleas Bench of Trumbull County.
He was a life member of the Brookfield Conservation Club, a member of the Hartford Optimists Club, a member of the Niles Welsh Club, a member of the Trumbull County Bar Association, a member of the 15th Ohio Light Artillery Unit, Warren Council No. 58, Jerusalem Masonic Lodge No. 15, Mahoning Chapter No. 10, and Warren Commandery No. 39.
Mr. Stuard was also a jack-of-all-trades kind of man, who loved spending time in his workshop fixing things and rebuilding antique rifles and cannons.
He will be fondly remembered by his family and friends as a man of patience and generosity, always willing to share his time. Despite his stature as a judge, Mr. Stuard was a simple man remembered as much for the flannel shirts he wore in his workshop as the suit he left the house in the morning wearing.
Mr. Stuard is survived by his wife, at home; a daughter, Elizabeth Nicopolis and her husband, Mark of Cary, N.C.; a son, John M. Stuard Jr. of Brookfield; three grandchildren, Margaret Nicopolis of Cary, and Mason and Mary Stuard, who were raised in the loving care of their grandparents in the family home in Burghill; a brother, Charles Stuard and his wife, Betty of Burghill; two sisters, Linda Hodgson of Burghill and Ruth Ann Newfield of Tennessee; niece Rebecca Clark and her husband, Joseph; and nephews Todd A. Hodgson and his wife, Lisa, Ben Hodgson, Dylan Stuard, and Bronwyn Clark.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a half-brother, Edward Stuard.
Friends may call the Sample-O’Donnell Funeral Home, 555 E. State St., Sharon, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013.
A funeral service will be held at the funeral home chapel on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 at 11 a.m.
Burial will take place at Oakwood Cemetery.
Donations may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 6060 Rockside Woods Blvd., Suite 315, Independence, OHIO 44131.
Arrangements are by the Sample–O’Donnell Funeral Home, 555 East State St., Sharon, PA 16146.